Start an orchard! Low-cost options for fruit trees

Late winter/early spring is the season for planting bare root fruit trees.  Bare root fruit trees are young trees (or sometimes just “whips”) that are sold in their dormant state with roots exposed, before being potted and sold as larger nursery stock.  Bare root trees are less expensive than potted trees, and are easier to prune and train to a desired shape than an already established tree.  In Portland, there are a variety of places to find inexpensive bare-root trees.  A new non-profit in Portland, called Grow Portland, is offering a series of low-cost fruit tree workshops during the month of February–$40 buys a tree and the class!  Other low-cost workshops on fruit tree care and pruning are offered by the Portland Fruit Tree Project and the Home Orchard Society.  For more information on growing fruit and nut trees in your home landscape (especially choosing varieties appropriate to our climate) see this OSU Extension Publication Growing Tree Fruits and Nuts in the Home Orchard.